


let's cross the lines we lost

by colourmeblue



Category: Elyza Lex (Fanverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 14:53:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6614941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colourmeblue/pseuds/colourmeblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You don’t even know what I look like,” she mutters. The words slip out before she has any time to stop them, and once again she’s thankful that Elyza’s not here to see the blush creeping up her neck.</p><p>“I can tell that you’re a brunette.”</p><p>Alicia frowns. “How do you know that?”</p><p>“Because I like brunettes. I have a hot brunette radar.”</p><p>(or, the one where Elyza is on Alicia's radio instead)</p>
            </blockquote>





	let's cross the lines we lost

**Author's Note:**

> This is canon Fear the Walking Dead up until episode 2x01 'Monster'.

The first time Alicia hears Elyza’s voice, it’s nothing but a low mumble.

The radio static makes it almost impossible to differentiate if someone’s talking or if it’s nothing at all. Plus, she really doesn’t know how to use a radio, so she’s just guessing with all the different knobs and buttons. She’s worked it all out so far, though. Ever since Travis told her to keep an eye on the radio, all she’s been doing is fiddling with it, hoping for something. _Anything_.

All she’s been hearing is a lot of distress calls and not much else.

There isn’t really much else to do on the Abigail. Nick always seems to be with Strand, and Alicia still feels uneasy being around him. Chris and Ofelia are dealing with the loss of their mothers, and Alicia knows they’d rather be alone. So, really, unless she wants to hang around her mother and Travis, there are limited options.

Being on board with nowhere else to go is already suffocating her.

She decides that she likes to sit out the back of the yacht. There’s a table there, and everyone else is usually either inside or out the front, so she’s got it all to herself. The sea breeze that hits her is the only thing that manages to calm her down. She needs it, otherwise she’ll be completely overwhelmed by her emotions, which is _not_ something she wants right now.

Once again, she’s fiddling with the knobs of the radio. She’s sure she’s tried every frequency a hundred times by now, but she still holds on to that naïve slither of hope that someone might be out there. Someone who _wants_ to listen to her.

She’s used to having Matt, who she could talk to about every single little thing. Now that he’s gone, she feels alone. In this world and under these circumstances, she thinks it’s dangerous to be alone.

The first time she hears Elyza, it’s very faint.

Whoever this person is, they’re too far away from the radio for Alicia to clearly make out what they’re saying. It soon becomes clear to her that this person hadn’t meant to leave their radio on, and now they’re unaware that somebody is listening in on them. Alicia can hear two people — a man and a woman — and both have rather rough voices. That’s all she can really gather, even when she presses her ear to the radio in an attempt to hear it over the whipping wind around her.

A short time later, the radio cuts out completely, leaving Alicia alone in silence.

She keeps the radio on the same frequency. There are people on the other end, and it’s the first sign of human life she’s heard since the group left the coast. So she sits, and she waits.

\------

Alicia doesn’t hear from anyone again until late in the afternoon.

She’s relocated downstairs this time, because she can’t stand being in a confined space with that many people for a long period of time. Once everyone has eaten, she usually leaves right away. There’s too much tension in the group for her to handle. It was already driving her crazy back in their house, but now there’s even less places to hide.

She lies on her back, her hands on her stomach with her eyes closed. Maybe if she tries to clear her mind, then all of her problems would just disappear. She could wake up and be back in Matt’s arms, and this whole thing would be one huge nightmare.

Alicia’s broken out of her thoughts when the radio crackles to life, and it startles her completely.

“This is Elyza. If you can hear me, please come in.” The stranger’s voice is husky, and her accent is blatantly Australian. She sounds desperate, and Alicia stares at the radio as she listens. “If this is some sort of a joke, it isn’t funny. We haven’t heard from you in days. James isn’t happy, and neither am I. Come in already.”

Alicia stays silent, and she hears a growl of frustration on the other end.

“We don’t want to have to send a search party out for you guys if you’re just fucking around.” She waits for a moment before growling again. The radio goes silent.

Alicia frowns, and tentatively picks up her radio’s microphone. “…Hello?”

She’s not really sure what possesses her to do it, but this woman is clearly looking for someone, and is in distress, so maybe she can help somehow.

(It’s total bullshit. She knows she can’t help at all, but she’s more than curious about this person. It feels like it’s the first breath of fresh air she’s had in days, and she wants to give them a reason to keep talking to her.)

“Who is this?” The woman on the other end asks. Now she sounds demanding, and her tone scares Alicia a little bit.

“I just… I picked up your radio frequency,” she replies quickly. “We’re out in the ocean, so…”

“The ocean?” She asks, and Alicia can hear her voice pick up. “Have you come across any other boats?”

It takes a moment for Alicia to process her words due to her accent. “No. Why?”

“One of our boats has gone missing. There were four men on that damn boat,” she mutters, mostly to herself. The woman lets out a heavy sigh, and Alicia thinks she’s going to turn off the radio and leave her for good, but once again, she surprises her. “Who are you again? What’s your name?”

“Alicia,” she replies slowly. She wonders if she should be giving personal information away to a stranger on the radio. Though, she guesses her name can’t hurt. “Who are you?”

“Elyza Lex, at your service.”

“You’re Australian,” Alicia deadpans. It’s rather obvious to her, but she wants to be sure.

“Good ear,” Elyza praises. “A lot of people say British.”

Alicia scrunches up her nose. “No. You’re definitely _not_ British.”

Elyza laughs. “Why? Am I not posh and proper enough for you?”

“Using British slang won’t get you anywhere either.”

Elyza laughs again, and Alicia almost gets whiplash at the complete one-eighty that this woman has done from just a few minutes ago. At the beginning, she almost sounded menacing, but she’s instantly relaxed in the time she’s spent talking to Alicia. “Everyone knows that Australians do it better, sweetheart.”

“Do what better?” Alicia asks, narrowing her eyes.

“If you have to ask that, then you’re far too young for me.”

“I’m eighteen,” Alicia argues. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-one.”

Alicia bites her lip. She’s a lot younger than she thought she was. Maybe it’s the voice. It’s gravelly and makes her sound like she’s mid-twenties or above. Either way, it’s clear that Elyza thought she was younger. She wonders why until Elyza speaks again.

“So, _Alicia_ ,” Elyza starts, putting extra emphasis on her name. “You said you were on a boat?”

Alicia nods before realising Elyza can’t actually see her. “Yes. You said you were looking for your people?”

The mood between them instantly shifts, and Alicia finds that she doesn’t like it at all. She already misses the playful banter, because it’s something she hasn’t experienced for a long while. It’s a rare thing in this world, and she wants to hold on to it.

Elyza sighs. “They’re gone. We don’t need to talk about it.”

“Okay,” Alicia says quietly.

There’s silence on the other end. “I should go,” she says. “I’ve got work to do.”

“Okay,” Alicia repeats. A part of her wants to ask Elyza if she’ll hear from her again, but she doesn’t want to sound like a needy child. Elyza doesn’t know her after all, and probably doesn’t want to know her, so she keeps quiet. Even though she has a million questions, she lets Elyza go, and once again lets the silence of the room surround her.

\------

An hour later, the radio crackles again, much to Alicia’s surprise.

“You know, I bet you’re gorgeous.”

Alicia stares at the radio before answering. “What?”

“I said, I bet you’re gorgeous. You sure sound like you are.”

If Alicia rolls her eyes any harder, she’s sure they’ll fall out of her skull. Though, there’s charm in Elyza’s thick accent that she can’t deny. It’s a good thing she’s not actually here, because she does _not_ want this woman to see her blush.

“What? You’re not even gonna thank me? That hurts,” Elyza says, clearly faking her disappointment.

Alicia huffs. “Why would I thank you for a crude compliment?”

“Oh, please,” Elyza says, and somehow, Alicia can _hear_ the smirk on her face. “You love it.”

“You don’t even know what I look like,” she mutters. The words slip out before she has any time to stop them, and once again she’s thankful that Elyza’s not here to see the blush creeping up her neck.

“I can tell that you’re a brunette.”

Alicia frowns. “How do you know that?”

“Because I like brunettes. I have a hot brunette radar.”

Alicia’s lip twitches, but she doesn’t allow herself to smile. She can’t help but enjoy the attention. It’s been two weeks since she’s received anything resembling affection. She doesn’t quite want it to end just yet.

“What? Have I made you speechless now?”

Alicia rolls her eyes again. “Shut up.”

“I _do_ have that effect on women.”

On women. So she’s definitely not straight. Alicia ignores the fluttering in her stomach. “It’s too bad women don’t have that effect on me.”

Elyza laughs. It’s full and hearty and Alicia can’t help but smile too. “That’s bullshit. You’re far too bothered by me complimenting you. But it’s cool, I’ll let you live in your fantasy world.”

Alicia narrows her eyes, not making sense of her point. “Maybe you’re just really annoying.”

“Perhaps,” Elyza replies. “Would you like me to go?”

Alicia considers telling her that she should. She really shouldn’t be getting attached to a stranger that a) she’ll probably never meet, and b) could be very dangerous. But she hasn’t been able to sleep during the nights yet, and she doesn’t want to be alone, even if it is just over a radio.

(Plus, Alicia likes listening to her voice a little too much.)

“…Not particularly,” she replies, a resigned sigh leaving her lips.

“I thought not, princess.”

There’s a pause, and Alicia expects more teasing, but the next thing that comes out of Elyza’s mouth is actually sincere.

“How are you doing anyway? With all of this?”

Alicia lets out another heavy sigh. “About as well as can be expected.” It’s a vague answer, she knows, but she doesn’t want to tell this stranger that she’s practically falling apart. At this point, she’s almost lost everything, and the things she does still have are fragmented, like her family.

“Are you with other people?” Elyza probes, and Alicia is suspicious as to why she’s asking. “Are you safe?”

“My mom and brother,” she answers, because again, she doesn’t really see the harm in it. “My stepfather and stepbrother, plus a few others.”

“Ah,” Elyza answers. “At least you have family, right?”

“You don’t?”

“They’re all back home.”

Alicia guesses that ‘home’ means Australia. It’s not like Elyza can just pick up the phone and call them. As much as she fights with her family, Alicia can’t imagine not knowing whether the people she cares about most are okay or not. At least with Matt, she has a pretty definitive idea of what happened to him. “And you’re on land?” She asks.

“Yeah. Me and a few survivors in San Diego. We’re trying to block off the streets, set up somewhere a little more permanent.”

Alicia sits up, surprised by the amount of new information she’s receiving. “San Diego? That’s one of the places we were thinking of heading.”

“It’s safe in some pockets,” Elyza explains. “Otherwise it’s just as overrun as everywhere else.” Silence falls between them before she speaks again. “Where did you come from anyway?”

“LA,” Alicia replies quietly. “It’s awful there.”

She can hear Elyza let out a heavy breath on the other end. “The worst of it happened in LA. The big cities were overrun in a matter of days. You’re lucky you made it out of there alive.”

Alicia’s not sure if ‘lucky’ is the right word to describe it. She’s not sure she wants to be living through this at all.

\------

Alicia initiates their next conversation. She keeps the radio away from other people, because she’s sharing one of the luxury bedrooms with Nick and she doesn’t want him to overhear her conversations. It’s not like she needs a proper bed anyway, because she’s not exactly sleeping. And tonight is no different.

She sneaks out of bed while Nick is asleep. Luckily, he seems to be sleeping like a rock, so there’s no way he’ll wake up and notice she’s not there. Not that it matters too much, there aren’t many places to hide on the Abigail.

She’s unable to calm her mind, and heading to the radio just seems to be an instinct.

She finds a thin mattress there in one of the storage rooms, so she knows that she’ll at least be comfortable while she’s talking. Once she’s alone though, she hesitates. Elyza’s probably either sleeping or nowhere near the radio. She doesn’t know her well enough to justify waking her up in the middle of the night, and she doesn’t want to risk somebody else hearing her and picking up the radio.

At the same time, she doesn’t know what else she’s supposed to do for hours while waiting to fall asleep. She takes a deep breath and picks up the mic. “Elyza? Are you there…?”

A low crackling can be heard on the other end of the line, and Alicia panics. What if someone else is there instead of Elyza? The idea of having to explain herself to another stranger is not appealing to her, and she considers turning the radio off completely before an Australian accent immediately relaxes her. “Alicia?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” Alicia shifts uncomfortably. She doubts Elyza wants to be talking to her at this time of night. She feels stupid for even starting the conversation.

“Are you okay?” It’s the first thing Elyza asks, and Alicia’s lips twitch slightly with another smile.

“I’m fine,” she promises. “I just haven’t been able to sleep very well since we boarded.”

“Right,” Elyza says in understanding. “Well, I’m on watch right now, so I can’t say I’d refuse the company of a gorgeous girl.”

Alicia already regrets picking up the radio. “Do you ever take a break?”

Elyza laughs. “Nope,” she replies, popping the ‘p’. “I have to keep up my game.”

“People are dying and you have to ‘keep up your game’? Really?” Alicia asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Listen, sweetheart, if you can’t have a little bit of fun in this world, then you’re gonna lose your mind.” Elyza sounds serious before she pauses. “And besides, it’s hard enough finding girls under normal circumstances. It’s quite a skill finding them in the apocalypse.”

“If you can call this ‘finding a girl’…”

“Well, you’re still talking to me, aren’t you?”

Alicia rolls her eyes again. She _really_ regrets picking up the radio. “I’m not the only one.”

“But I’ve already made it quite clear that I enjoy talking to you,” Elyza replies, and once again, Alicia can tell she’s got a smile on her face. “I have nothing to hide, princess.”

Alicia’s beginning to wonder just who this person is. Maybe it’s because she’s older, but there’s still a certain mystery about her that she can’t seem to grasp. “You never told me what you look like. Since you have nothing to hide and all.”

Elyza chuckles. “Well, I’m devastatingly attractive. And I have _fantastic_ boobs.”

Alicia laughs until she snorts, which is something she’s sure she’s never done before. She really wishes she _didn’t_ have the microphone on when it happens, but it’s too late, and Elyza’s already laughing at her.

“Okay, I must be hearing things. You did _not_ just snort.”

Alicia sighs quietly, deciding to humour Elyza a little. “…Just a little bit.”

“That’s adorable.”

Before Alicia can say anything in response, she hears a loud gunshot on Elyza’s end, followed by a lot of yelling. Alicia presses her ear closer to the radio in order to listen, but the crackling static is making it difficult.

“Fuck,” Elyza hisses, and Alicia can hear her reloading some sort of firearm. “Hang on,” she tells Alicia, and then she’s gone.

\------

Alicia doesn’t hear from Elyza for a whole day.

She tries not to be worried sick. She really doesn’t. They’ve been talking for, what, less than twenty-four hours? However, Elyza’s the only one she’s been able to properly talk to since this all started, and the thought of losing _yet another_ one of those people makes her sick to her stomach.

Alicia finds it difficult to keep herself occupied. She stays close to the radio, because she doesn’t want to miss anything. Her mother keeps giving her strange looks as she carries the radio from room to room, but she uses the excuse that Travis wants her to keep an ear out, which is the truth. Unfortunately, ever since she started speaking to Elyza, she hasn’t bothered to listen out for any other survivors. Thankfully, nobody asks her about it.

Regardless, her stomach churns every time she thinks about Elyza. If she dies, she’ll never hear from her again and that will be that. Alicia hates the idea of not knowing what happens to her. She hates being left in the dark in general, but not knowing is going to gnaw at her for a long time. She hasn’t been able to concentrate on anything else all day, and she knows that, in this world, there’s no time to let your guard down.

When she returns to the storage room she was in the night before, Alicia realises she’s more exhausted than she thought. She hasn’t slept for two days, and she was hoping to stay awake long enough until exhaustion took over her body. It doesn’t take long for her to pass out on the thin mattress, and she’s in such a deep sleep that she doesn’t even hear the radio crackling at first.

Elyza lets out a heavy breath. There’s a lot of noise on her end, but Alicia’s currently dead to the world. “So, did you miss me?”

Alicia stirs, but only slightly. She murmurs something incoherent before attempting to go back to sleep.

“Alicia?” Elyza pauses. “Either you’re sulking or something happened to you, and I’m not really a fan of either scenario. Hello?”

Alicia frowns, very irritated by the source of the noise. She opens her eyes and turns her head, staring blankly at the radio. It takes her a few seconds before she finally realises what’s going on.

She is almost embarrassed at the way she scrambles to the radio. “Elyza? What the hell happened to you?!”

Elyza laughs, and it almost makes Alicia angry. “ _Finally_. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever gonna answer.”

“The same can be said for you!” Alicia hisses, not wanting to speak too loudly in case someone hears her upstairs. “You tell me to ‘hang on’ and then you’re gone for a whole day.” She huffs, because she knows she has no real reason to be angry, but she is anyway, and it’s frustrating her.

“Wow, princess,” Elyza says. “Didn’t realise you’d be so touchy about me leaving you.”

Alicia sighs heavily, choosing to ignore her suggestive comment this time. “You’re not going to tell me where you were?”

Elyza sighs. “Sometimes we have issues with other people. They see the wall and they try to get in to steal our supplies. We spent all day and all night fighting them off.”

Alicia’s heart drops. “Really? People do that…?” She, in particular, has been relatively sheltered since everything started. She’s only really been inside her own home. Travis had explained that everyone had turned to rioting and looting when they went to pick up Chris, and that’s why it had taken so long for them to return. Alicia didn’t want to believe it, but Elyza has confirmed her fears.

“You haven’t come across anyone like that?” Elyza asks before scoffing. “Man, you’re lucky. These shitheads are all over the place, thinking they can come and take what’s ours. All humanity just goes out the window as soon as a disaster happens.”

Alicia’s jaw locks. “I’m sorry for snapping at you.”

“S’alright, princess,” Elyza replies with a humourless chuckle. “It’s nice to know someone’s thinking of me.”

Alicia expects the last sentence to be teasing, but she actually sounds sincere, and it throws Alicia off. “The world has lost enough people already,” she says. “It would be a shame if it happened to you.” It’s a weak excuse, and she knows that Elyza will be able to see right through it, but she uses it anyway.

Alicia can hear the amusement in Elyza’s tone. “Uh huh. I’ll make sure to not disappoint you.”

Alicia bites her tongue. She doesn’t _really_ want to tell her what is threatening to spill out of her mouth, but at this point in time, she’s unable to help it. She needs Elyza to know that she can’t lost anyone else. “My boyfriend, Matt… he, uh…” She swallows heavily, and Elyza remains silent on the other end. “He got sick… before I even knew what this all was. I assume he turned. God, he’s probably still there.”

Elyza’s silent on the other end until she finishes, and Alicia doesn’t need to say anything more for her to understand it.

“I don’t need another person dying on me. I just… don’t.”

“Okay,” Elyza replies softly. It’s all she can really say to assure her, since Alicia _knows_ Elyza can’t promise anything, but Alicia really wishes that she could.

Alicia doesn’t say anything more. Mostly because she’s distracted by her own thoughts, but at the same time, she doesn’t really know what to say to Elyza. She doesn’t know how to speak to someone she barely knows, because the circumstances are different now. People are strangers, but if you make a connection with that stranger, you’re automatically more than that. You’re allies without having to state that you are. Alicia knows she feels that connection with Elyza, but at the same time, she has absolutely no reason to trust her.

All Alicia wants is human connection. She wants to feel close to someone again. And it’s probably not good that she latches on to the first stranger she talks to, but she can’t help it with Elyza. She keeps making up excuses to talk to her, and Alicia knows it’s not exactly a positive sign.

She doesn’t want to get attached, but she feels like it’s already too late.

“Are you still there?” Elyza asks gently.

“Yeah, sorry. The radio woke me up, I’m still a bit, y’know.” Alicia uses the excuse, because she can, and because she’s still not sure what to say.

“So you _can_ sleep after all,” Elyza chuckles. “You’re not a vampire. Or some nocturnal creature.”

Alicia’s lips twitch upwards. She can’t help it. “Why? Were you worried that I was?”

“I was beginning to wonder,” Elyza replies. “But vampires aren’t all bad. Rather sexy if you ask me.”

“If you call getting the blood sucked out of you sexy.”

“You wouldn’t hurt me,” Elyza says confidently. “You can’t live without me, remember?”

Alicia rolls her eyes again. “I’m concerned that your mental health has been compromised. You’re seriously deranged.”

“Oh, lighten up,” Elyza scolds her lightly.

Alicia immediately frowns at the statement. It’s not something you tell someone when there are people dying all around you.

Elyza seems to notice her mistake right away. “Shit. Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Alicia replies softly.

Elyza sighs. “I’m not— I’m not used to this world yet. I don’t know the rules.”

Alicia chuckles humourlessly. “Do any of us know the rules?”

“Guess not.”

Silence falls between them once again before Elyza speaks.

“You can go back to sleep if you want,” she tells her. “I know you haven’t been sleeping properly — I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

Alicia hesitates, and Elyza picks up on it right away.

“I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Alicia pauses. “You will?”

“Yeah. Promise.”

Alicia smiles. She didn’t realise she had become so dependent on Elyza in such a short amount of time, but she _has_ and it terrifies her. Being attached to someone in this world is dangerous — she knows that. She lost Matt before she even realised what was happening. She lost her father _long_ before this even begun.

She’s not sure what losing another person would do to her. Especially in such a violent and gruesome and _sudden_ way.

It’s then that she decides she doesn’t want that for Elyza. She wants Elyza to live through this. She doesn’t want Elyza to suffer, and _she_ doesn’t want to suffer if something happens to her.

“Be safe while I’m gone, okay?” Alicia tells her.

She expects a flirtatious comment in response, but once again, Elyza surprises her. “I will.” It’s quiet and it’s sincere, and Alicia knows she’ll keep that promise.

\------

A couple of days later, Strand tells them they’re being followed.

At first, Alicia’s not too worried about it. She naively believes that they’ll veer off their course and go in their own direction. She thinks it would be even stranger if they _didn’t_ run into another boat while they were out at sea. She’s sure that everyone would’ve had the same idea as their group if they had a boat of their own.

When she tells Elyza though, she doesn’t have the same reaction.

She’s silent for a long time, and at first, Alicia believes there’s something Elyza isn’t telling her. That she’s hiding something, and that _she_ has something to do with the people following them.

“Have you been talking to anyone else on here?” Elyza asks. Her voice is grave, and Alicia can tell she’s not messing around.

“Why? Are you jealous?” Alicia asks, rolling her eyes. “Relax, of course I haven’t been talking to anyone else. Like you said, there’s gotta be a whole heap of boats out here. Just because they’re on the same course as us — it doesn’t mean anything.”

Elyza’s silent again before she replies. “You’re on a big boat, Alicia. The people following you could have superior tracking equipment. That makes your big boat a huge target.”

Alicia frowns. She didn’t really think of it that way.

She ultimately decides that it’s fine. Strand will tell them if the situation gets any worse, and they can worry about it then. She wants to believe that people in this world don’t suddenly become cruel and heartless as soon as a disaster happens. However, Elyza isn’t as convinced, and Alicia feels a tickle in her stomach at the worry in her tone.

It’s fine, she repeats to herself in her head. It’s fine.

\------

(It’s not fine.)

It only takes half a day for the boat to catch up with them completely. Even Strand is panicking, and when Strand starts panicking, Alicia knows that it’s time for them to panic too.

There are only two guns on board. One is Strand’s, and the other is Daniel’s.

Madison and Travis are completely against killing actual _people_. It was hard enough for them to kill the undead for the first time. Daniel tells them they have no choice — that it’s either life or death — and that they have to protect what they own.

Although Alicia’s sure she wouldn’t be able to handle killing another human being, she has to agree with Daniel. People can’t just come and take what’s theirs, and she knows Strand won’t let them.

The boat is gaining on them, and all Alicia can think to do is go back to the radio. Maybe if she grabs the radio and hears Elyza’s voice, then suddenly, everything will be okay.

“They’re coming,” she tells Elyza, and she can’t help how her voice trembles when she speaks. “I just… I wanted you to know. Just in case you don’t hear from me again.”

“No,” Elyza says firmly. “That’s not happening.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I won’t just sit here and wait for you to die.” Alicia’s sure she’s never heard such determination in Elyza’s voice before.

Alicia’s heart jumps in her chest. “Then what do you suggest we do?”

“You leave that to me,” Elyza says, and the determination in her tone almost makes Alicia believe her. “You have to tell me where you are though. Your coordinates. Do you trust me enough for that?”

Alicia’s heart is racing at this point. Could Elyza really come and save them? It didn’t seem plausible at all. “Of course I trust you, I—” She stops herself, because honestly, she has no real reason at all to trust her. Who was this woman anyway? Alicia doesn’t know a single thing about her. For all she knows, Elyza could be _working_ for them. She could have sent the boat herself. Things become a lot more real when the possibility of meeting her in person comes into play.

“We’re already heading towards the speedboat, Alicia. You just have to tell me where to go.”

Alicia hesitates. She knows that their coordinates would be up where the navigational controls are on the bridge. All she has to do is walk up the stairs to reach it. Strand and the others are busy preparing for what’s to come — they wouldn’t even notice that she’d done it.

But if she’s wrong, and Elyza _is_ with them, then they’re all going to die for sure.

“You don’t trust me,” Elyza says, as if she can read Alicia’s mind. She doesn’t sound disappointed though, she sounds understanding.

“I…” Alicia breathes in deeply. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Let me help you,” Elyza says, and there’s only the tiniest bit of pleading in her tone. “Please, Alicia.”

They don’t really have any other option. If they do nothing, they die anyway. If there’s a chance that Elyza is telling the truth, then she’s wasting time by thinking it over when she could be doing something to save everyone. Maybe it’s more of her naïve hope, but Elyza has always sounded sincere. She trusts her. _She does_ , and she really shouldn’t.

Alicia lets out a heavy sigh before she replies. “Okay.”

She picks up the radio, carrying it up the stairs to the bridge. Their coordinates flash in big red numbers on the console. From the bridge, she can see that the boat is fast approaching them. If she doesn’t do it right now, they’re all going to die for sure.

Alicia breathes in deeply. She’s either about to save everyone, or make the biggest mistake of her life. She clicks on the microphone. “Okay.” She swallows. “Here are the coordinates…”

\------

There are five men who board the Abigail. They all carry large guns, and Alicia _really_ doesn’t like the way they’re looking at her. She’s the youngest, and she’s female, so it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what they’re thinking.

She doesn’t _want_ to be in this situation again, like with the soldiers back in the parking garage. She wants to be able to fight back for once in her life. However, nobody fights back this time. The strangers’ guns outnumber their own, and the last thing they need is a firefight on the water. Alicia’s sure that would only attract more people — and more undead.

The men disperse around the boat. There’s nothing they can do — there’s nowhere to run — and their guns are a lot bigger than anticipated. Alicia’s inside, on the ground level. There aren’t many places to hide, and it isn’t long before she’s found by two of the men.

One man grabs her by the hair, yanks her upwards and sticks a gun to the back of her head. Alicia instantly freezes as she feels the solid barrel jabbed at her. _Of course_ they would use her as a bargaining chip — it makes the most sense. She’s on her knees and she’s facing the door, so she can’t see the men, but she also has no idea where everyone else is.

The men have radios, and they spend a lot of time talking. Alicia thinks that _arguing_ is probably a better term for it. They can’t decide on what to do with ‘their new prisoners’. The man holding her suggests killing them all. Another, who sounds like he has a hold of Ofelia and Daniel, thinks that they should be thrown overboard to fend for themselves.

They’re also wasting a lot of time admiring the boat. They’re _taunting_ them, and it makes Alicia sick.

Alicia can’t stand feeling this powerless like this.

The men finally decide on what they’re going to do. They opt to go with the first option — executing them and then throwing their bodies in the water. The man holding her, who’s name she quickly learns is Jack, pushes the barrel of the gun harder into her head.

She’s going to die, and that’s all there is to it.

Alicia screws her eyes shut, willing to block as many of her senses as she possibly can. She doesn’t want to hear them, she doesn’t want to see them, she doesn’t want to feel them. She would rather die cold and numb than have to listen to them taunt her.

She will die with whatever dignity she has left, and that’s a promise.

Alicia’s concentrating so hard on calming her mind that, at first, she doesn’t hear the commotion going on outside. The barrel of the gun leaves her head, and by the sound of the men’s voices, she can tell that they’re now in front of her. She doesn’t dare open her eyes. It’s a trap. She knows it’s a trap. They want her to open her eyes so she’ll be staring them down when they kill her. She won’t fall for it.

The gunshot she _does_ hear though, is not aimed towards her.

The rather loud crack makes Alicia squeak with surprise. She brings her hands up immediately to cover her ears, and her eyes stay shut. It takes her a moment to realise that there’s something warm and wet dripping down her face.

“Jesus Christ.” The voice is soft, distinctly Australian, and _very_ familiar.

Once she removes her hands from her ears, the figure moves closer to her, and Alicia recoils like a small, wounded animal. She then looks down, and sees the man who had been holding her was lying face down on the floor. It’s then she realises that the substance she’s covered in is the man’s own blood.

“Alicia?”

Alicia’s whole body shudders. She’s not sure if it’s with relief or fear or _what_ , but she can’t stop shaking and it’s rendering her immobile. She knew it was Elyza the second she heard her voice, but a part of her can’t quite believe it.

When she looks up, she gets a good look at Elyza for the first time. She’s wearing a black tank top with a leather jacket, along with black jeans and black boots. Not _exactly_ the image she has in mind when she pictures ‘Australian’, but she’s not going to deny that she’s relieved to see her. Alicia now knows the source of the gunshot, as Elyza holds a pistol in her right hand, while also having a shotgun slung over her back.

Elyza seems to notice Alicia’s shuddering, as she takes a single step closer to her. It’s not enough to scare her off, but it’s enough to comfort Alicia if she needs it.

“Fuck, Alicia. I’m sorry— He had hold of you, I just— Shit.”

Alicia’s still staring at the body. Elyza had just _killed_ someone, and now Alicia’s covered from head to toe in their blood. She’s still on the floor, and the pool of blood beneath her is slowly encroaching on her space. Yet, she’s frozen, unable to move or speak.

“Alicia,” Elyza starts. Her voice is much more tender this time, and she takes a couple of steps closer to her.

Alicia’s not sure what to do. If she were in her right mind, she would probably reject the advancement. She’s not even sure if this _is_ Elyza. If this was some stranger messing with her, she wouldn’t be opposed to punching them square in the nose.

“Say something,” Elyza insists, and Alicia can only look up at her, taking in her entire physical appearance all at once.

Alicia opens her mouth. “I… I can’t get up.”

“Okay,” Elyza replies quietly, taking the remaining steps towards Alicia and holding out her hand for her. Her movements are still careful, and Alicia appreciates that.

Alicia takes her hand. It’s warmer than anything she’s felt in weeks.

Elyza pulls her up with relative ease, but Alicia immediately loses balance when she’s upright. Clumsily, she knocks into Elyza’s body, but instead of pulling away, she chooses to stay there. Her face is close to Elyza’s neck; she can probably feel her frantic breaths against her skin. It’s an immediate reaction — and she hasn’t been this close to somebody in a long time — so she’s going to savour it.

Even though Alicia can’t see Elyza’s hands, she can tell the older woman is still being cautious with her movements. A tentative hand is placed just above her hip, and Alicia melts into the embrace. She can’t help but be weak when it comes to this. Human connection is all she craves, and she feels like she’s known Elyza forever, when in reality it’s probably only been a week.

“You—You’re _here_. You came.”

Elyza’s body relaxes against hers. “Of course I did. I told you I would.”

“A part of me didn’t think you were real,” she whispers against Elyza’s skin. Her nose is touching Elyza’s neck, and Alicia’s sure she’s never felt skin so warm in her life.

“Most women think I’m too good to be true.” Alicia can tell she’s smiling by her reply, and she pulls back to look at it. She’s heard amusement in her tone so many times over the radio, but she’s yet to actually _see_ her smile. For the first time, she really doesn’t care that Elyza is blatantly flirting with her, because the smile she wears is stunning.

“You understated yourself over the radio,” Alicia murmurs, daring to look into Elyza’s blue eyes. It’s her way of telling Elyza she’s attractive, but she already seems to know that much about herself.

Elyza raises an eyebrow, and a smirk is just beginning to appear on her face when other people barge into the room. Alicia spots her mother over Elyza’s shoulder and she rushes over to her, throwing her arms around her. Nick and Travis aren’t far behind them, and they also seem to be covered in blood. Standing out on the deck behind them, are two strangers that Alicia guesses Elyza brought along with her.

“Are they gone?” Alicia asks her mother when they pull away from each other.

Madison only nods, before looking over Alicia’s shoulder at Elyza. “James out there tells me you sent a distress call.”

Alicia shifts uncomfortably. “I’ve been talking to Elyza for about a week now. She’s from a safe zone in San Diego. She wanted to help.”

Alicia can see on her mother’s face that she doesn’t approve of it in the slightest, but she can also see that she’s relieved that it’s all over. “Thank you,” she tells Elyza, who only nods once in response.

Travis then moves past the group. “We should get rid of the bodies. Strand is going to throw a fit when he sees the blood all over the floor.”

Somehow, Alicia thinks the blood is the last thing Strand is going to care about, but she’s more than happy to have the body taken somewhere where she can’t see it. Elyza shot him in the head right in front of her, and she knows _that_ image won’t be leaving her head any time soon.

Everyone in the room is quiet, and seems disoriented. Alicia’s still covered in the man’s blood, and she’s still trembling slightly. Madison leaves Alicia to go and help Travis, and Alicia feels Elyza come up behind her before she hears her speak.

“You know, I don’t normally meet the parents until after the fifth date, at the very least.”

Alicia turns to face her, raising an unimpressed eyebrow. But, she knows this is just Elyza’s way of taking her mind off of the incident. “How did you even know it was me when you walked in?”

Elyza seems to hesitate before answering. Alicia sees the smirk form on her face before she replies. “Hot brunette radar, remember?”

Alicia rolls her eyes, and she can see that only makes Elyza smile wider. “You’re even more impossible in person.”

Elyza shrugs. “Perhaps. But it’s nice to finally put a face to a name.”

Alicia takes a moment to look at her. Her eyes rake over Elyza’s features, and she takes a moment to reply. “Why do I feel like I know you?”

Elyza’s smirk is replaced with a look of curiosity. “You’re not the only one, princess.”

Alicia’s lips twitch slightly at the nickname, and Elyza places her hand gently on Alicia’s arm.

“Would you like help getting cleaned up?”

She doesn’t force it on her, _she asks_ , and Alicia’s starting to think this woman is more than she seemed over the radio. Normally, Alicia would say no. She doesn’t _need_ help at all, but she wants it. More specifically, she wants it from Elyza. She nods slowly. “At the back of the boat, there’s a place you can sit. I’ll meet you out there.”

Elyza nods before turning around to glance over her shoulder. Alicia can see that Strand is talking to the men Elyza brought with her. She wonders if they’re thinking about taking them back to Elyza’s safe zone. It would make the most logical sense, and Alicia really doesn’t want to be out on the water anymore.

Once Elyza disappears towards the back of the Abigail, Alicia’s mother approaches her once more. “Your friend is quite the character.”

Alicia raises an eyebrow. “You’re going to lecture me on my choice of _friends_ right now? Really? Mom, she saved our lives.”

Madison sighs. “Yes, I know. We’re very lucky she’s one of the good guys, otherwise we’d all be dead. Or worse.” She pauses. “But no more secret radio calls, okay? We were lucky with this one, we might not be next time.”

Alicia nods. She’s more than happy with that. “How’s Ofelia? And Chris?” At first, she’d been too afraid to ask, but she knows she’d have to hear the news sooner or later if something had happened to them.

“Everyone’s safe,” Madison promises her. She reaches up to place a hand on her daughter’s arm. “Are you okay?”

Alicia shrugs weakly. She’s not, and it’s obvious that she isn’t, but she doesn’t want to talk about it. More than anything, she just wants to go be alone with Elyza. She knows Elyza won’t push her to talk about anything she doesn’t want to.

“We’re heading towards San Diego. To where James’ people are. They need the numbers, and we need somewhere safe to drop anchor.”

Alicia lifts her gaze to meet her mother’s. She won’t have to say goodbye to Elyza anytime soon. The thought alone makes her whole body flood with relief. So far, Elyza’s the only one who has been able to make her feel safe. In addition, she’s the only one who has made Alicia feel _needed_.

“I’m gonna go get cleaned up, okay?” Alicia says, and she waits until her mother nods before leaving the room.

She grabs a clean cloth and a small bucket filled with water. She’s very thankful for the Abigail’s desalinization system, because she doesn’t want to have to wash herself down with salt water. She carries the bucket out the back, where Elyza is sitting.

Elyza has shed her leather jacket, and is sitting there in just her tank top. A tattoo that Alicia hadn’t noticed before sits over her heart. It’s a broken infinity symbol, and Alicia is itching to find out what it means. She’s itching to find out a lot of things, if she’s being honest.

Alicia moves to sit next to Elyza, handing the bucket and cloth over to her. “It’s the best I can do unless you want me to strip down.”

Elyza raises an eyebrow. She opens her mouth to speak, but Alicia — with her newly flushed cheeks — beats her to it.

“Don’t say a single word,” Alicia warns her. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Your blush says differently.”

“ _Stop_.”

Elyza laughs. “Sure thing, sweetheart.” She looks at Alicia, and the affection in her eyes increases her heart rate tenfold. She stares at her for a little too long before turning her attention back to the bucket on her lap. She dips the cloth into the bucket, wringing it out before bringing it towards Alicia’s face. She pauses, right before the cloth touches her cheek.

“What is it?” Alicia asks, immediately feeling self-conscious under her gaze.

Elyza shakes her head. “It’s nothing,” she assures her, beginning to wipe the blood away from Alicia’s face. “You’re just… a lot more gorgeous than I thought you were. That’s all.” As she says that, the cloth travels over Alicia’s cheekbone and along her jawline.

Alicia smiles, ducking her head shyly. “Thank you.” It’s a quiet murmur, but it still manages to make Elyza smile.

“Are you okay?” Elyza asks. “After all of that… Shooting him right in front of you was really fucking stupid.”

Alicia shakes her head. “If you didn’t, I would be dead. My _family_ would be dead. And I didn’t see it happen, so that’s something at least.” She pauses. “And I’m okay.” She knows she won’t be okay when it’s night time and she’s trying to sleep, but for now, she can focus on Elyza and try to push the rest of it out of her mind. She’ll cross that bridge when she gets to it.

Elyza continues cleaning Alicia’s face and neck, and the younger girl continues to watch her. It’s a good excuse to study Elyza up close. She has a scar on the underside of her chin, and she smells faintly of smoke. Every time Alicia’s gaze reaches her eyes, she feels her heart rate pick up. She doesn’t know why the older woman has this effect on her, but she likes it a lot more than she should.

Alicia’s eyes then drop to her lips. It’s a subconscious action, but she finds that she can’t stop staring, and she doesn’t care too much that Elyza seems to notice.

“If you’re waiting for me to ask you to stop staring, you’ll be waiting a long time, sweetheart.”

Alicia’s lips twitch upwards involuntarily. That seems to be her new habit when it came to Elyza. “I wasn’t staring.”

“Oh?”

“I was… appreciating.”

Elyza gives her a look. “You’re flirting with me. _Again_.”

“I can’t admire someone without it being flirtatious?”

Elyza rolls her eyes, because Alicia’s right, and she knows it, but she’ll never openly admit it. “Whatever, princess. I know what your game is. You can’t fool me.”

Alicia laughs, but then catches herself, and it slowly turns into a frown. “Doesn’t it feel weird to you? Laughing and joking around when everyone around us is dying?”

Elyza’s hand drops from Alicia’s face as she returns the cloth back to the water. The water is becoming murky due to the blood and dirt, and Elyza places the bucket back on the table. “The way I see it, you can’t just be serious all the time. It’s important to hold on to pieces of your humanity, or else you’ll go crazy.”

“Nothing is important now,” Alicia mutters bitterly. All of the things in her life that were important suddenly don’t matter anymore. To her, they’re not worth anything. To her, the _world_ doesn’t matter. It’s falling and there’s nothing that anybody can do to stop it. Her whole frame of mind is distorted, and she doesn’t have a clear viewpoint on anything anymore. “Only survival.”

Elyza shakes her head. “Life is about more than just surviving, Alicia. It always will be. You just have to find reasons to keep living.”

Alicia lifts her gaze to look at her. Her eyes are beautiful, and there’s something in them that makes Alicia believe every word that comes out of her mouth. Not only that, but she can’t get rid of the itching feeling that there’s something else she’s missing. A puzzle piece that has yet to reveal itself to her. There’s no way she can connect with someone so quickly the way she has with Elyza — she knows there must be something else to it.

Ever since she started talking to Elyza, the fog that clouded her mind has been slowly clearing, and in that moment, Alicia thinks she’s found her reason.

**Author's Note:**

> I just realised there isn't a single zombie in this.
> 
> Then again, the second part will make up for that.
> 
> :)


End file.
